93 CARAVAN DYING LIKE ITS OUT OF GAS and otehr problems

elvis71056 · #1 03-06-2008, 01:03 AM

I have aquired a 93 Caravan. The previous owner told me it had a bad fuel pump ( sounded like it too me too) . While driving the van neither the speedometer nor tach worked.then it started sputtering like it was running out of gas.. Whn I got it cranked (see below) the tach and speedometer worked until I shut off the engine.

you can turn the key on then off a bunch of times and it sounds lke the fuel pump is clicking on but not pumping..then after a while (sometimes days ) you turn it to start, hear the pump click on and can hear it start squirting fuel..then it will crank. I replaced the fuel pump and it still does the same thing..so I thought..must be the brain box..which I replaced... but it is still doing the same thing..also when acting up if you turn the dimmer switch up to brighten the dash lights all the light inside the van come on as soon as you barely move the switch..but sometimes the switch works.

Currently (for today at least) I can crank it, the tach is working but not the speedometer. and the dash dimmer switch is working for now as well... Tomorrow probably will be a diffrent story (if it starts at all)

tempfixit · #2 03-06-2008, 10:47 AM

How old is battery?
Check battery cable ends and posts make sure they are shiney clean.
Check all grounds.
Remove the instrument cluster and check the soder joints with a magnafing glass to see for cracked solder joints and resoder.

Do a search by entering instrument cluster should be all kinds of info.
Autozone.com has procedure to remove cluster.

elvis71056 · #3 03-06-2008, 12:27 PM

it has a new battery..and I REALLY do not see what the instrument cluster would have to do with it dying and acting like its running out of gas...(READ THE POST CAREFULLY!) THE instruments not working properly is a VERY MINOR PROBLEM!

the problems I listed with the instruments was just so IF IT MAY be connected to the starting/running problem...Sheesh..did I say it WAS NOT TURNING OVER? NO I DID NOT!

Quote:

Originally Posted by tempfixit

How old is battery?
Check battery cable ends and posts make sure they are shiney clean.
Check all grounds.
Remove the instrument cluster and check the soder joints with a magnafing glass to see for cracked solder joints and resoder.

Do a search by entering instrument cluster should be all kinds of info.
Autozone.com has procedure to remove cluster.

Bear · #4 03-06-2008, 01:05 PM

Try this, buy a couple of bottles of dry gas, water out, HEET, etc and drop them in the gas tank, if you have condensation in the gas the symptoms are as if you are running out of gas (water remover is real cheap and may save you a lot of money diagnosing the problem). Hope this helps.

RIP · #5 03-06-2008, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvis71056

it has a new battery..and I REALLY do not see what the instrument cluster would have to do with it dying and acting like its running out of gas...(READ THE POST CAREFULLY!) THE instruments not working properly is a VERY MINOR PROBLEM!

the problems I listed with the instruments was just so IF IT MAY be connected to the starting/running problem...Sheesh..did I say it WAS NOT TURNING OVER? NO I DID NOT!

tempfixit has nailed a possiblity on the head. Disregard it at your peril. The key here is the CCD data bus. If you lose it anywhere, many systems can be effected. When you're ready to listen, come on back. Until then, I wish you all the happiness in the world.

elvis71056 · #6 03-09-2008, 09:45 PM

One more problem cropped up...Now When it Finally cranks and starts...I can rev the engine to about 4000 rpm and holding steady pressure on the gas pedal the tach starts wavering wildly....I let up on the gas pedal..it dies and will not recrank

I will check the instrument cluster thursday....but does the extra info I just posted tell anyone anything? I have replaced the coil..because when it will will not crank it also has no spark coming from the coil to the distributor

Quote:

Originally Posted by RIP

tempfixit has nailed a possiblity on the head. Disregard it at your peril. The key here is the CCD data bus. If you lose it anywhere, many systems can be effected. When you're ready to listen, come on back. Until then, I wish you all the happiness in the world.

elvis71056 · #7 03-10-2008, 08:04 PM

We cleaned out the gas tank when we changed the fuel pump. put in a couple gallons of gas..swished it around then dumped it...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bear

Try this, buy a couple of bottles of dry gas, water out, HEET, etc and drop them in the gas tank, if you have condensation in the gas the symptoms are as if you are running out of gas (water remover is real cheap and may save you a lot of money diagnosing the problem). Hope this helps.

elvis71056 · #8 03-10-2008, 09:00 PM

I MAy have "Accidently" found the problem..I was checking to see if the coil had a ground wire, and checking the grounds all over the engine compartment.I "moved or wiggled" the wiring harness under the air breather (where the coil wires tie in) it started right up..so I guess I will check the wires more carefully tomorrow afternoon after I get off work..while it is daylight...and I can see..when I did this the tach quit working which tells me this is most likely a loose wire or connector

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvis71056

One more problem cropped up...Now When it Finally cranks and starts...I can rev the engine to about 4000 rpm and holding steady pressure on the gas pedal the tach starts wavering wildly....I let up on the gas pedal..it dies and will not recrank

I will check the instrument cluster thursday....but does the extra info I just posted tell anyone anything? I have replaced the coil..because when it will will not crank it also has no spark coming from the coil to the distributor

elvis71056 · #9 03-12-2008, 07:40 PM

AH HA...OR SO I HOPE

I was checking under the hood for lose connections during on of the rare times when the van ran and...i wiggled the plug going to the ECM(?) (the computer thing under the battery) and the van dies! So I THINK I will go to teh junk yard tomorrow to see if I can find one and pick up a crank position sensor while I am there and see if this fixes the problem! Could this also be why the instruments work erraticaly, if at all? and why when the tach works it wavers and the engine revs and wanes?

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvis71056

I MAy have "Accidently" found the problem..I was checking to see if the coil had a ground wire, and checking the grounds all over the engine compartment.I "moved or wiggled" the wiring harness under the air breather (where the coil wires tie in) it started right up..so I guess I will check the wires more carefully tomorrow afternoon after I get off work..while it is daylight...and I can see..when I did this the tach quit working which tells me this is most likely a loose wire or connector

elvis71056 · #10 04-04-2008, 10:37 AM

WELL EVERYONE..I got a USED pcm (ENGINE CONTROL COMPUTER) I installed it and the van fired right up and runs beautifully..The :check engine" light came on but after doing the key twist for diagnostics it went out so I guess it was just because the battery had been disconnected...HOWEVER the speedometer still does not work so it STILL may be the CCD data bus..or the speed sensor on the transmission

Quote:

Originally Posted by elvis71056

AH HA...OR SO I HOPE

I was checking under the hood for lose connections during on of the rare times when the van ran and...i wiggled the plug going to the ECM(?) (the computer thing under the battery) and the van dies! So I THINK I will go to teh junk yard tomorrow to see if I can find one and pick up a crank position sensor while I am there and see if this fixes the problem! Could this also be why the instruments work erraticaly, if at all? and why when the tach works it wavers and the engine revs and wanes?

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